l’Œuvre d’Orient

L’Œuvre d’Orient is a French organisation that works to help Eastern Christians through bishops, priests and religious communities on the ground. It has a unique focus on long-term missions but is also able to intervene in urgent situations, where there are wars, conflict, or natural disasters.

Thanks to the support of its 76,500 donors, every year, l’Œuvre d’Orient, whose managing director is Mgr. Pascal Gollnisch, finances more than 1,500 projects led by 400 Christian communities and institutions. These communities and institutions strive to help all those in need, in around 20 countries, essentially in the Middle East, but also in Eastern Africa, Eastern Europe, and India. In 2016, the association distributed nearly €20 million in funds.

Its work is focused on education (schools, nurseries, kindergartens, orphanages, and shelters, etc.), medical and social care (clinics, hospitals, institutions for the disabled, retirement homes, etc.), cultural action and the life of dioceses (student grants, training centres, libraries, translation of books, etc.). Since the start of the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, it has also been providing humanitarian aid on the ground to displaced populations and refugees in the Middle East.

It has a long-term perspective, but its organisational structure and its local contacts mean it can intervene very quickly disaster strikes.

Bearing witness to the plight of Eastern Christians, and raising awareness about them in France, is also central to its mission. In these parts of the world where Christians are often seen as "second-class citizens".